On the Edge
by KateBB7
Summary: Jamie and Eddie are in trouble. Surviving is one of the problems. The other problem is called 'feelings' and it might affect the outcome and their friendship. 1st fanfic. Independent. Now completed.
1. Chapter 1

Eddie and Jamie walked in to the 12th precinct at the end of their tour. It had been a quiet day, and Eddie was a little restless as always. It was already a darkening outside and almost cold.

"You coming for a beer at the Penny?" she asked Jamie as she pushed open the door from the precinct's lot, with Jamie right behind her.

"Can't stay for long, though," he answered. "By the way, I thought your car was in the shop?" Jamie asked curiously, when they turned over their radios and the car keys to the guy at the counter so it would be ready for the next shift.

"Yeah," she turned to him, with a smirk on her face, "that's kind of why I need you to come," she said openly. "Or at least give me a ride," she continued. Jamie sighed with a smile and nodded.

"All right, ready in ten?" he asked, agreeing to give her a ride to the Black Penny, the cop bar, only a twenty minutes drive from the 12th.

"You're the best, Reagan," she said and headed to the women's locker room. Jamie walked the other way to the men's locker room.

Half an hour later they walked through the door at the bar, Jamie headed to a small table and Eddie went to the bar for drinks. They were the first ones off shift to make it to the bar that Saturday night. But it wasn't quiet, far from. The bar was half filled already with familiar faces, and more cops walked in all the time.

"You owe me one," Eddie said, sliding onto the stool across the table from him and passed him a glass with his favorite beer in it. They couldn't see other cops from their precinct.

"Like you don't owe me already," Jamie said, smiling, clinging their glasses and drinking. The door opened and a couple of cops from another precinct walked in, laughing and talking loudly and articulated about an arrest they had made the same day. They headed for Jamie and Eddie as soon as they saw them.

"Reagan, Janko, how's your tour?" Morgan asked and leaned at the table while his partner, Talbot, got the beers.

"Slow business," Eddie said, taking a sip of her beer. Jamie knew she wasn't as cheerful as she looked, when around Talbot, partly because of the way he was always looking at her. But she liked Morgan, the ten-years-older married man. He was of Hispanic with an Irish name. Talbot was a bit older, also married and he had kids, a big waist and grey hair. The conversation struck towards the old mantra of stories from their work. More friends joined them, even Renzulli came by. After a couple of hours Jamie gave Eddie the ready-to-go-look and she stood up, ready for the lift home.

"We'll see you around, guys," Jamie said, standing and grabbing his coat from the back of the chair. As soon as he and Eddie got out and the door closed behind them she started talking again. She was always unusually quiet in the presence of Talbot, but the company of their other coworkers made it easier and put some distance between them. Jamie didn't ask about it. They walked down the street to the small parking lot, where Jamie's car was parked. It was a small lot, only six spaces at both sides between two apartment buildings. It wasn't late, but later than Jamie had anticipated. Midnight was cold and grey and the moon was shining bright above them. Eddie was on his right trailing to the other side of the car.

"Thanks for the ride, Reagan," she said and yawned midsentence when they approached his car. Jamie grabbed the car keys in his pocket and was just about to answer her, when he felt someone big behind him. He could feel a weapon pointed at the back of his head. Just like a mirror, a gun was pressed into Eddie's back by another man. Like Jamie, Eddie froze solid when they saw the guns pointed at each other.

"No sudden movements," said the unknown voice behind Jamie. He couldn't see his face, but he could see the other guys face, which already told him, it wasn't going to end well for them. "You move, she gets a bullet to the head, are we clear?" the man said. Jamie estimated him to be at least twice the size of Eddie, judging by the shadows and the deep voice. Jamie nodded slowly but clearly. "Give me the keys to your car," the voice said. Jamie didn't move right away. "KEYS!" he groaned at Jamie's right ear. The second man, big and ugly as he was, behind Eddie grabbed her by the hair and forced her down on her knees, she cried out, swearing under her breath. He held the gun to the soft skin behind her left ear.

"All right, all right," Jamie said, his heart pounding. "Here, take them," he said, throwing them on the ground between him and Eddie. "Take the car, take the money… take it… go," he said standing with his hands out palms up.

"You are making a mistake." Eddie said, hiding her fear and terror. "We are cops… if you go now, we'll not arrest you," she tried. She and Jamie were unarmed and not about to start a fight with the two armed men behind them. The ugly man with the crooked nose looked at the man behind Jamie and then pistol whipped Eddie so that she fell unconscious on to the ground.

"EDDIE!" Jamie shouted. He spun around to the man, caught a glimpse of his face before the man threw a fist at his jaw. Next, Jamie landed on the ground, dazed and hurt, but alive. The man was older than he sounded

"I know who you are, Officer Reagan," the man smirked and kneeled down next to Jamie as if to apologize. He grabbed a handful of Jamie's hair, lifted his head from the paved ground at jerked it down again, knocking Jamie out.

Danny paced back and forth in the dining room setting the plates on the table while worrying about his kid brother. Danny had missed church due to a case he was working, not able to get a lead, just before driving to his dad's house for the mandatory and famous Reagan Sunday dinner.

"Jamie wouldn't miss church for anything in the world," Danny said and placed the last fork on the table before he grabbed his phone out of his pocket. "If he couldn't make it, he would call, at least," he said and speed dialed his kid brother's phone. He had just learned that Jamie didn't show up this morning.

"Danny," Linda said impatient. "I'm sure Jamie can take care of himself, don't get everybody worked up and worried," she said. Dinner was almost ready. She and Erin had been preparing it since yesterday. Danny put his phone down, even more worried because he didn't get an answer and looked at Linda. The rest of the family was in the sitting room, cheerful laughter pouring out with the well known voices of the Reagan family.

"I'll drive by his place to look for him," he said, not listening to his wife. "Tell the others I had to go back to work," he said and walked out the door.

Jamie woke up and grimaced because of his headache. He lifted his right hand to the back of his head, sore as hell. It took him a few moments to realize where he was and what had happened. A single beam of light came through a small hole of the covered-up windows. It might have been some old news papers, he thought. He sat up and realized his left hand was cuffed to a pipe by an old heater. He heard something to his right and turned to see Eddie's shape stir on the ground. "Eddie," he said and turned towards her. "You all right?" he asked and she let out a gasp when he touched her aching head.

"I would be, if you could keep those icy fingers of yours of my head," she murmured without looking at him. She raised her right hand but it was cut short by the hand cuffs to another pipe. She huffed in frustration and pulled herself up right. "Where are we?" she asked and looked around. Her eyes fell on his shoulder, it was dark with dried blood. "Are you bleeding?" she asked and he sat up next to her as close as the cuffs allowed him, they leaned against the wall.

"I don't know where we are," he said. His right touched the back of his head, only to produce another grimace. "Not anymore," he said afterwards and tried to stand up, limited by the pipe. "It's Sunday, it's late…" he said looking out of the small hole. His free hand flashed to his neck, feeling a needle mark on the side. "We've been drugged," he said and swore under his breath as he sat down again, thinking. Eddie was quiet for a while.

"Do you think we'll survive?" she asked with a tiny voice and a hand to her throat. Jamie looked at her dark silhouette and put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll figure it out," he said, hoping he would sound encouraging enough.

"You're a terrible liar, Reagan," she said and padded his hand.

"I know Danny would be looking for me already," he said, thinking of his overprotective brother.


	2. Chapter 2

_First update, second chapter. Reviews and ideas are welcome._

" _I've tracked the phone to a parking lot near the Black Penny, detective,_ " the tech guy Thompson said on the phone. Danny hung up, without a word, and parked at the curb across from the bar. He had ordered the trace of his brother's phone when he wasn't at his place and neither was his car. He walked to the parking lot and saw Jamies car neatly parked in the middle of the far side. Danny called Jamies phone again and heard the ringtone from underneath the car. He dropped to the ground and fished out two phones, a wallet, a purse and the car keys from behind the tire. The ringing phone had 'Danny' written on the screen, the wallet had Jamies ID in it and the purse contained the driver's license of Edit Janko. Danny already had a knot in his stomach. This wasn't making it better. Someone had taken Jamie and his partner Eddie. His eyes came to rest on a small puddle of dark red, dried blood. Danny grabbed his phone and called his dad.

"Dad," he said gravely.

" _Is it Jamie?_ " his father asked, immediately concerned for his son's voice, and Danny could hear him hold his breath. They would be in the middle of the dinner by now and Frank would have stepped out to the kitchen for a phone call.

"I found his car, phone and wallet together with Janko's… and a little bit of blood," he said.

Jamie caught himself thinking what Danny or Joe would do in a situation like this. He couldn't come up with an answer right away as his train of thoughts was disrupted when the door was opened. Eddie sat up straight and they both recognized the ugly man immediately.

"He wants to see you, Reagan," he said with a nasal voice. The voice was well companied with the guy's crooked nose. "Any good ideas and she'll be dead within five minutes, got it?" he said. He wasn't carrying a weapon this time, at least not that Jamie could see, when he knelt down to the pipe and opened the handcuffs.

"Jamie…" Eddie said, getting up on her knees as the ugly man dragged Jamie to his feet. His other hand was locked in the handcuffs and the ugly man pushed him towards the door. Jamie didn't speak. The door was closed behind them.

"What do you want?" Jamie asked, when he was partly pushed and lead down the corridor to a bigger area. An old, abandoned warehouse, he thought at first, but then he realized it was an old, shutdown boxing gym. He was lead to the ring, where a man was waiting in the far corner, looking away. He was pushed through the ropes and hauled upright again. His head was aching. His jaw hurt. A rope was hanging from the roof in the middle of the ring, level with his head. The ugly guy pulled it down a bit and tied it around Jamie's hands. Then he took of the cuffs and left the ring.

"How nice of you to stop by," the man said with the same deep, unknown voice as before. He turned, looked at Jamie with a smile and stepped in closer, limping. His eyes focused on a spot behind Jamies head and his hands were suddenly raised. Then his body was lifted. The man in front of him nodded when Jamie's feet were just above the ground and he was left hanging from his hands. Jamie looked up, looked around, squirming in the air.

"Who are you?" he asked quietly. "What do you want?" he asked louder, now looking at the man in front of him.

"I know your dad," he said and limped to the corner to Jamie's right. He picked up a small stool and a cane and walked back, assisted by the cane. He placed the stool on the middle of the side and sat down. "Or at least I know of him," he corrected himself. "Back in the old days, when the rules weren't as strict as now," he continued. His hands rested at the handle of the cane in front of him between his knees. "Cut of his jacket," he commanded to the ugly man, that was standing outside the ring, watching. The man cut Jamie's jacket of so he was hanging in only his t-shirt, jeans and shoes. It was cold, Jamie thought and the ugly man retreated to the corner again. There was a slight resemblance between the old man and the ugly one, that looked to be younger that Danny, but older that Jamie.

"What do you want?" Jamie asked again, starting to feel the pain in his shoulders, neck, arms and wrists.

"I want your dad to feel the same pain I did, when I lost my youngest boy," he said while he moved closer to Jamie. On the last word, boy, he twisted the cane in his hand and jabbed it in into Jamie's body, hard. It was so hard it sent Jamie swinging and turning while he fought to regain the air that was struck out of his chest. Jamie huffed and groaned in pain, but didn't say anything right away. The jab had hit him just above his navel, to the right. It made his stomach turn. He wasn't ready for the second hit, a long arched swing with the cane to the left side of his upper body. This time, Jamie couldn't stay silent, as he cried out in pain. He was sure he felt, and even heard, the crack of a rib or two. He was dangling around, catching his breath and looking at the man, huffing and puffing in pain.

"My dad's… already… lost a son… Isn't that… enough?" Jamie asked and grimaced when the ugly man steadied him.

"Are you thirsty, Officer Reagan?" he asked politely, changing the subject completely and looked past him, nodded once to the ugly man. Jamie was then covered in cold water from the bucket in the corner and it soaked his clothes, splashed to the ground and made him squirm even more. He breathed heavily and all his muscles tightened and loosened. Shortly after, his whole body was shaking. Not only because of the water, but also the cold air in the middle of November.

"Jerk," Jamie spat out, not thinking of the consequences. He was trembling and his breath was white in the air in front of him.

"Funny, don't you think, T.," the old guy grinned. "Oh, how rude of me… Jamie, this is my oldest son, Taylor. He is, thanks to your father, my only son," the old man said and turned to his son. "Anything you would like Jamie to know, Taylor?" Jamie was still swinging from side to side. He was facing Taylor for a moment, and that was an expensive moment. Taylor, the ugly man, the broken nose, threw a well aimed punch from his hips right into Jamie's stomach. Jamie coughed and started swinging again. He could taste blood in his mouth. Just a little. His breath crackled. His lungs hurt. His arms were numb. He was freezing.

"Go to hell," Jamie wheezed and the old man laughed at his face before he turned to his son.

"That's enough for now, put him back and give them a bottle of water and a blanket. You can untie the girl as well," he said, grabbed his cane and walked out of the ring and away to a door. Soon after, Jamie was lowered to the floor, his legs collapsing under the weight. He was dragged back through the corridor, not sensing much.

"Jamie?!" Eddie called when the door opened and she saw him, wet and hurt. Taylor let the rope go, Jamie's hands fell to the floor. He rolled to his side, pulled his knees up a bit and was just shaking, his hands still tied up. Eddie was released, with a gun to her head so she wouldn't try anything and as soon as Taylor left, she crawled across the floor to Jamie.

"You all right, Jamie?" she asked when she took the rope of his hands. He groaned a response, trembling and wheezing. His wrists were smeared in blood and his hair was dripping with cold water. The lights came on. The door opened. A blanket and a bottle of water were thrown inside to them. Jamie fought to sit up and leaned against the wall with a hand over his bruised ribs.

"I'll be fine," he said with pain in his eyes.

"Jamie, you need to take your t-shirt of or you'll freeze to death before you'll be fine," she said and grabbed the blanket from the floor. He could hardly move without something hurt. His arms, his chest, his jaw, his head, his ribs, everything. When he didn't move right away, Eddie moved closer to help. After a little fight with the wet cloth, she dropped it to the ground and pulled the blanket around Jamie's shoulders, noticing the marks on his upper body.

"What the hell happened?" she asked and her fingers ran over his sore, almost black ribcage. "Who are they?" she asked as she took of her warm coat and covered Jamie's front. He was still wheezing.

"The old man lost his youngest son, the ugly one, Taylor, is his oldest, now only, son. It seems like, the old man is blaming my dad… eye for an eye, you know…" he said looking at her. He was thankful for the coat, it really helped. She grabbed the bottle of water and sat next to him. He lifted his arm, inviting her to share the blanket and she moved closer until she rested her head on his shoulder. It was intimate, but not as awkward as she thought it would be and she put her arms around his cold, bare waist, trying to get him warmed up. His arm rested reassuringly on her shoulder.

"Jerks," she said, mostly to herself but it made Jamie smile.

"That's what I told them," he said, not laughing because of the pain.

 _Hang on, guys!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Second update, third chapter._

Danny had trailed in his brothers footsteps since he had called his dad. He had talked to the bartender at the Black Penny and a couple of cops that were seen in the bar. Now, every available officer in the area was knocking on doors in the neighborhood, hoping to find some witnesses.

"Sergeant Renzulli has arrived, Detective," said an officer to Danny and he left what he was doing at his desk, looking up at his brother's old training officer and partner.

"Reagan," Renzulli nodded, uptight and tense. Danny waved him to the chair next to his desk.

"When did you last see them," Danny asked jumping straight to the question.

"Last night, at the Penny. They left around midnight. Officer Reagan was giving Janko a ride home," he said. "Her car is in the shop," he explained, when Danny's eyes went up.

"Do you recall anyone who might have said or done something suspicious in the last couple of days?" Danny asked impatiently. Renzulli shook his head.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, except for a couple of very quiet days on the street," he answered.

"Anything, at all?" Danny asked, almost sounding desperate. It was almost dark, only seven hours until they passed the 24-hour mark. His cell phone vibrated on the table, he grabbed it, hoping for some news. "Reagan," he answered.

" _We have a witness,_ " Baez said and talked to someone in the background. " _Scratch that, we have two witnesses, Danny,_ " she said. " _A young woman saw four shapes on the parking lot, out of her window across the street, just after midnight. Two of them were pointing at the other two's back. One of them was an old man, with a limp and a cane the other one was twice the size of Janko and looked like a boxer with a broken nose,_ " Baez said as Danny scribbled down.

"Go on," he said, finally getting somewhere. Renzulli craned his neck, trying to read the notes and listen in on the conversation, worried about two of his best officers.

" _Witness number two is a middle aged man, returning from work. He saw two men, same description as before, cane and broken nose, load a van with something he couldn't see, but he could tell it was heavy. The van is a dark blue or black Chevy Express, older model or badly maintained. Partial plate 9 – 9 – 8 – 7,_ " she ended and left Danny speechless for a second.

"Hold on," he told Baez. "We have a partial plate," he told Renzulli and entered the DMV on his computer. Four long seconds later a result popped up. "Get the two witnesses over here, and meet me on the address I'll text you, in fifteen," he said and hung up. He wrote down the name of the owner on a piece of paper. Taylor Huntington. "You up for a ride, Sergeant?" he asked Renzulli without looking at him while searching for the background belonging to the name and calling his dad. Danny had promised him updates.

"Dad?" he asked as soon as the phone clicked. "We have two witnesses, a van and a name," Danny said, still looking at the screen.

" _Anybody we know?_ " Frank asked, thinking of the question as if the name had an arrest record.

"Taylor Huntington, 36, no priors, mother's deceased, brother was killed…" Danny trailed off, reading the following paragraph, opening other files, not hearing Frank.

" _Huntington? As in Theo Huntington?_ " Frank asked. Now it was his turn to be speechless.

"You know them?" Danny asked both his father and Renzulli, who moved closer to the screen, so he could read to file as well.

" _Fifteen years ago, 17-year-old Theo Huntington was dealing on a street corner. My partner and I intervened, shots were fired, we fired back, killing both of them,_ " Frank said and dug through the hazy memories. " _His father, Peter, didn't cope well with the loss,_ " Frank paused, a throb in his throat.

"Dad?" Danny asked, not sure what to think.

" _Danny, you have to find Jamie, now,_ " Frank said with anxiety in his voice. He was nervous. And terrified. The only thing that ran through Danny's head was that he couldn't lose another brother. Not now, not ever.

Jamie was still wheezing. Eddie was silent. They didn't talk. It was like time stood still. Hours had gone since Jamie was dragged back to the room. He was dry, he was warm.

"Drink some water," he said quietly and Eddie took a sip of the bottle. Next, she held it to Jamie's lips so he didn't have to move. He realized how thirsty he was. She could see he was in pain. She hadn't said anything. "What are you thinking about?" Jamie asked her and she looked up at him. "You are never this quiet, not even when you're hungry," he continued and smiled. Eddie could eat more than him and still be hungry.

"If we are going to live long enough to get out of here," she said quietly and got to her feet. Jamie felt the chill breeze on his bare skin when she moved and he trembled slightly.

"I'm sure a lot of people are looking for us by now," he said and rolled his sore shoulders under the blanket, his whole body was stiff. The door opened, Eddie stepped back and Jamie straightened. Taylor was back, with a gun in his hand.

"Get up, Reagan," he said, still sounding nasal. When Jamie didn't get up right away the gun trailed to Eddie. "Help him up," he said and she turned to Jamie. With huffs and groans they succeeded and Jamie was leaning on Eddie's shoulders. "Walk this way, both of you," Taylor said. Jamie and Eddie walked ahead to the big area with the ring. They stopped walking when they were halfway between the door and the ring. Jamie started trembling again because he was wearing nothing on his upper body. He looked for windows, doors, anything that might help. He knew Eddie was doing the same thing. Assessing the situation.

"Reagan… Jamie… and Edit Janko, right?" Peter was behind them, also with a gun in his hand. Jamie and Eddie turned to face him, awkwardly because of Jamie's restrained movement. "Oh, she _is_ pretty, Taylor. Blonde and beautiful, just like you said," Peter said. "Just the way you like them, right?" He grinned. Jamie tightened his grip on her shoulders.

"Don't touch her," he said quietly as a warning. His voice was still weak and his breathing was laboured by the hard work of walking, but it was audible.

"Ooh, you hear that, T. He's a little protective of her," Peter said, entertained. He clapped his hands and smiled.

"I have an even better idea, now," he said, looking at his son, then Eddie and then Jamie. Jamie didn't like the way he grinned, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't like the new idea. Not even the slightest. "How about we string him up again, and then you do what you want to do, with Bambi here, out back?" he asked his son, who didn't reply. He was just looking at Eddie. Hunger and thirst in his eyes.

"Get away from her," Jamie said when both men stepped closer. Eddie pulled Jamie a step back. He was already hurt. Another, as they came closer again. Then another, and another, until they reached the ropes of the ring and couldn't back up any further. "Eddie, run," Jamie wheezed at her, but she didn't move. She wasn't leaving him alone with these two madmen.

"Taylor," Peter said, suggestively, and the ugly man moved closer, gun raised high in one hand, pointing at Jamie, the other reaching for Eddie's wrist. But Jamie was quicker, even though he was slowed by the pain and he had a gun in his face. He grabbed the gun, pointed it in the air, saw the left hook coming, spun away, twisted the gun and missed the punch. He butted Taylor's already broken nose with the butt of the gun still in both of their hands. He whirled back, grasping his nose, screaming in agony. Taylor was big and slow, like Jamie had hoped. Peter was quicker, Jamie realized too late, as the cane hit him on his back, leaving a red mark. He arched and almost screamed in pain, dropped the gun and fell to his knees. Eddie didn't dare to move because of the gun, Peter was pointing on her. Taylor got himself moving again, his hands grabbed a rope, tied Jamie's hands tight. He was lying on the cold floor, trying to breathe carefully. Eddie almost let go of a tear.

"Let him go!" she almost yelled at Taylor, but didn't move, not with a gun pointed at her. Taylor looked at her, lifted Jamie, as if he weighed nothing, crossed the ropes and secured the hook in the rope, just like before.

"You deal with him," Peter said angrily, stepping closer to Eddie. Jamie grunted and squirmed in the air, he felt helpless.

"No," he said, almost silent. "Stop," he said, louder. The rope burned his wrist. "Don't harm her," he said, almost yelled. He panted, it hurt to speak, to breath. "Please, just let her go," he talked at no one, as he dangled around. He could hear they stopped moving, all three of them, surprised by his words. Next, Peter walked in front of him in the ring, smiling.

"You actually care about her," he said, as if he was impressed by Jamie's begging. "Are you begging for her life, Officer Reagan? Do you care about her wellbeing?" he asked, raising Jamie's chin with the handle of his cane. Eddie looked at Jamie's back, stunned. Taylor was holding her arm tight, so tight it would probably bruise.

"Yes… more than anything," Jamie said, looking Peter straight in the eyes, daring him to throw another punch.

"Your father should have thought of that before he killed my kid," he said in a low voice, disgusted by the words he said.

"Whatever your son did… he deserved it. My dad wouldn't kill anyone without reason," Jamie said knowingly, proud of his father.

Eddie just looked at Jamie's back. Dark purple and red bruises were showing. What Jamie had just said about her, gave her a knot in the stomach and a throb in her throat.

 _A chapter a day, keeps the doctor away :)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Third update, fourth chapter. Bare in mind, locations might not be accurate, as I now nothing about New York geography. Just a spot on the map. Ideas and reviews are welcome._

Baez opened her door and climbed out of the car when she saw Danny and Renzulli walk across the street to her car.

"Nothing has happened in the five minutes I've been here," she told them and nodded to a red stone building. In some of the apartments the lights were on, few were dark. "Second floor to the right," Baez said and both men looked up at the dark windows in the chilled dark.

"Let's go wake him up," Danny said and they all three started towards the front door. They didn't say anything when they reached the second floor, just drew their guns and made ready for entrance with flashlight. Danny took a few steps back and charged at the weak door, his foot hit right below the handle and the door sprung up. Baez moved in and crossed the hallway, Danny second, Renzulli followed. When they had cleared the rooms, without finding anyone they flicked on the lights and looked around.

"See if you can find anything that leads to another place or area," Danny said, searching a stack of papers on the table. It was filled with take-out boxes, receipts, trash and unpaid bills, everything was greased and curled. Every corner was filled with trash, dust and filth.

"Reagan, I've got something," Renzulli called from the bedroom, concern and disgust in his voice. Danny and Baez found him in front of the open closet. The insides were plastered with articles and recent photos of Jamie, Erin, Danny and Frank. The article about Joe's death was in dead center to the right. Another article, dated 15 years ago, showed a picture of a closed-of crime scene with the line 'Cops kills dealers in shoot-out!' above it.

"That's definitely something," Baez said, looking at a circled picture of Jamie and Eddie walking the streets in their uniform.

"Call it in and get this placed searched," Danny said, walking back to the table and calling his father.

" _Any news, Danny?_ " Frank's voice rumbled over the line. He sounded muffled and soft on the edges, as if he had been sleeping. Danny knew, however that wasn't the case. Frank was probably sitting in his office, just waiting.

"It's Taylor, all right. Closet filled with articles and pictures of Jamie, Erin, you and me," Danny said, looking through the receipts and bills. "We are scouting for a secondary location or any possible leads to where they must be," he continued. A restaurant menu caught his attention, as it was not from the area but from Downtown Brooklyn. "Dad, I'll call you back later," Danny said and put his phone in his pocket. Baez stepped out of the bedroom with her phone to her ear.

"Danny, background check on the father, Peter Huntington, shows a parking ticket in Brooklyn Heights, two months ago," Baez said. Renzulli followed behind her with a worn, sponsored jacket in his hands. It had 'Beasts of Brooklyn' written on the upper back. "Taylor lost his job at the container terminal, half a year ago," she said and got of her phone. All three of them thought of the docks as a remote and quiet place,

"Our guy's a boxer," Renzulli said, his voice was a little tense, hoping for a breakthrough. "That would explain the broken nose, if it hadn't been repositioned properly," he continued.

"That's something," Danny said and showed them the menu. Now they had a general sense of direction, Danny thought. Brooklyn area and the waterfront, which was a whole lot smaller than the entire city of New York, assuming they were still in the state.

Eddie knew Jamie cared about her, it was mutual. Once, after a double date with friends of each others, they had shared a passionate kiss. At that point, they had blamed it on the alcohol. But they both knew it was more than that. Regulations were that partners on the job couldn't be personally involved. So they had kept a lid on it and never mentioned it again. And yet she was still astonished by his words. They had never talked about it, never put words on it. Taylor started dragging her away back towards the room they woke up in.

"Let go off me!" she said with clamped teeth and wriggled in Taylors big hands. He grabbed her other arm and lifted her above the ground, avoiding her violently kicking feet. "You idiot, put me down, jackass!" she hissed without being able to do anything. As Taylor turned the corner, she saw Peter raise the cane. She heard the 'swoosh' in the air, the 'thump' when it hit Jamie's body and his cry of pain. She felt helpless, thrown in the room, with the door locked. "Asshole!" she yelled after him.

Jamie had taken beatings before, but none of them had been with a cane. When he was younger, Danny and Joe had taught him, how to fight and defend himself, but none of it would help right now, not when he was tied up.

"I thought a lot about, how to kill you, you know. Quick or slow, gun or knife, stuff like that," Peter said and sat down on the stool again. Jamie coughed once. He looked at the ground. "No comments?" he asked leaning back. "I see why you like the blonde officer," he started again. "She is pretty. It would be a shame to kill her, too. You know, I opted for just you, but it seems like you two are inseparable, both on duty and off duty," he rolled his shoulder and stood up right trailing to the other side, as Jamie had turned in the air.

"Let her go," Jamie said. He didn't lift his head, he spoke quiet. "You'll never get away with this, I hope for your sake my father finds you before my brother does," he said a little bit louder.

"No one will find you before it's too late, Officer Reagan, trust me when I say that," he followed Jamie's slight swinging.

"I know my family. They'll stop at nothing to get you. Whether I live or die. Trust me when I say that," Jamie said and lifted his head with a slight smile. He knew it was a bold move, but he couldn't resist. For that, he paid with a swinging jab with the cane to his left thigh.

Danny drove like a madman towards Brooklyn. He was expecting a call from a coworker, with the possible locations at the harbor, like currently empty warehouses or somewhere no or few workers were travelling by in daytime. Baez was on the passenger's seat, gripping the handles and steadying herself. She didn't utter a single word, just like Danny. The lives of two cops were at stake and it wasn't just any two cops. Danny wasn't sure about Eddie and if someone would be waiting for her to come home unharmed. He didn't know her that well. Only that she had quite an appetite and could be a little bossy. He only knew what Jamie had told him about her. Jamie, on the other hand, he had a family that worried about him. And therefore they all worried about Eddie too, because everybody knew how close friends they were. Everybody knew how big a difference a cop's partner was to the daily rhythm.

"Slow down a bit, Reagan," Baez said. She didn't want to get killed before arriving. Danny eased off the speeder, still driving faster than all the other cars.

"Peter Huntington's youngest kid was killed in a shoot-out, right?" Danny was mostly talking to himself, but Baez nodded and continued.

"He wants revenge and realizes the best way to get it, is by doing the same thing to the cop that killed his son," she trailed off for a second.

"But why would he wait fifteen years to get his retaliation?" Danny asked, puzzled.

"Grieving takes time," Baez started. "Not to mention researching the cop, now the PC with his whole family in law enforcement. I mean, it must have been like his birthday to realize that. On top of that, the planning, all the time spend on surveillance, judging by those photos. The timing and carrying out is important to the man," she said.

"The father is the mind behind it all, the son is the muscle without work for six months," Danny said while concentrating on driving. "They wouldn't go to the waterfront," Danny said, still driving. "He's not working there anymore, so how could he get access? How would he get in, without being noticed?" He turned left at the next traffic light.

"What's on your mind, Reagan?" Baez asked, knowing he had figured something out.

"Beasts of Brooklyn," Danny answered.

Eddie walked around in the room, looking at the windows, the door, anything, that might do some good. When the door was opened, she stepped back cautiously. Peter stood easy in the doorway, arms crossed, leaned on the frame.

"He really wants to see you live," Peter said. He didn't at all sound old and grey, with his deep, husky, intrigued voice. Like his quick reactions, his voice was full of youth. "Come on, I'm sure he would like to see you," he said and stepped back. Instantly Eddie worried even more because of the way he had said it. She looked at him, confused, holding her breath. "Go on," Peter said encouragingly, like nothing had even happened. Eddie passed him in the hallway, almost running and still looking over her shoulder until she turned the corner. And then she ran towards the shape on the ground in the ring, fearing the worst. Jamie moved his head to look at her, her hand grabbed his. His breath was laboured, he was in pain, his wrists and nose had bleed.

"Go," he said quietly. "Run… get out of here," he said and squeezed her hand. She just shook her head in denial.

"Like I'm ever going to listen to you," she said and smiled bravely.

"Jeez, Eddie, do you ever do, as you are told?" Jamie asked with a smile of his own and tried to sit up. Eddie helped him get all the way up on his feet. He held a hand over his bruised ribs. The floor was smeared in dried patches of blood. They stepped out of the ring under careful supervision by Taylor. In his hand he had a gun. He started towards them, still with the gun down by his hip, Jamie apparently didn't seem like a threat anymore. Peter was nowhere to see for the moment and Jamie eyed the opportunity. He already knew Taylor was slow as a hell. Maybe it wasn't properly thought from beginning to end but he still believed he had a chance. It took Jamie two big strides to get close enough and to throw the appropriate right uppercut at Taylor. It was well placed. He dropped the gun, juggled a few steps backwards. Eddie jumped for the gun, just as surprised as Taylor had looked. He then charged at Jamie.

 _Ohh... cliffhanger :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Last chapter... sorry guys. Enjoy!_

Based on Danny's gut feeling he and Baez were headed to the address of the gym, where the 'Beasts of Brooklyn' had trained, with back up on the way as well. Danny had updated Frank while Baez had called Renzulli to get an update on the place, which had only fortified Danny's suspicions. The gym had been out of business for three years, but the father and both of the sons grew up there. They were only five minutes out and Danny was driving like crazy. He couldn't lose Jamie, if that happened, he didn't know what to do with himself. He and Jamie weren't as close as Jamie and Joe had been. But Jamie was still his kid brother, and he was proud of him. No one should take him away.

"What if they are not there?" Baez asked steadying herself against the car. She didn't doubt Danny's hunch, it was logic, but 'what if' has a great insecurity about it. Danny barely looked at his partner.

"I know it's the place," he said edgy. He was sure. He had to be. For Jamie and Eddie. He twisted the steering wheel and came to a halt, half way up on the curb, just as a flash of light flicked inside the gym. It was accompanied by the thumping sound of a gunshot and more of them. _Tap_ - _tap_ - _tap_ , break, silence, a loud cry, _tap_ , short break, _tap_ , silence. Baez radioed for back up and ambulances, Danny ran for the entrance.

Time stood still. Taylor charged at Jamie. Eddie raised the gun, pulled the trigger three times and then an excruciating, yet angry howl caught her attention by the door. Before she could react, Peter raised his gun at her. Jamie moved. A shot was fired. Jamie was hanging in the air between them. Eddie fired a single round at Peter. Jamie was on the ground. Tom was on the ground. Taylor was dead on the ground.

"Jamie!" Eddie whispered and fell on her knees next to him. A bullet had caught him above his right hip. His eyes found hers. Sirens came closer. Red and blue flickered on the walls and lit up the room. A door was busted open. Everything was a haze. Eddie pressed her hand on the wound in Jamie's side. The blood was pebbling out under her hand. "Jamie!" she didn't realize she was crying, with actual tears. Danny slid to the ground on Jamie's other side, feeling for a pulse in the neck, pressing the wound like Eddie. Jamie's eyes shifted to Danny's.

"Stay with me, kid," he said, his voice was trembling. "Jamie, come on!" Jamie was pale and quiet. His eyes were unfocused and filled with pain. He looked at Eddie again and closed his eyes.

Machines were beeping when Jamie opened his eyes again. A struck of pain in his chest made him not wanting to breathe, just yet. Movement in the corner of his eyes caught his attention and he turned to look. Danny was sleeping in a chair. Outside the sun was up high already. Jamie breathed in carefully, but he coughed and Danny woke up instantaneously. His jacket and tie were curled and his smile was relieved and thankful when he stood up detoured to the door to get a nurse and then walked closer.

"How are you, kid brother?" he asked and leaned over him, just looking at him.

"I feel like someone used me as a punching bag," his hoarse voice said. A group of nurses and doctors came in and ushered Danny away and giving him time to call the family with updates.

The next couple of days were filled with visits from family, friends and cops. On the fourth day he opened his eyes when the door opened and saw Eddie walk in. He knew she had been hospitalized as well as him, for minor bumps and bruises and dehydration.

"Hey, Reagan, are you doing all right?" she asked quietly when he sat up in the bed. She didn't quite know what to do with herself, so Jamie decided for her, inching sideways in the bed, making room for her.

"I'm better," he said and swallowed. "I wouldn't be here today, if you hadn't been there," he confessed when she sat down next to him. She looked at him, eyes wide and sad.

"I thought you died," she told him, recalling the nightmare it had been, seeing his eyes close.

"I didn't," he said quickly, leaning back, like her. "How are you feeling?" he asked because he knew she wouldn't be the one to start the conversation about her. She would contain her feelings, until she exploded with them.

"I feel like my world is standing still, but everything around me is moving at the speed of light. Like, I'm a passerby. A spectator to my own life," she admitted, looking at the ceiling deep in thoughts. "Do you realize how close that call was?" she asked him. "I should pinch your arm for that, but I won't, because you don't really deserve it, you know," she commented and tilted her head, looking at Jamie's profile. He tilted his head to look at her, without saying anything.

"Not many cops get to say, they took a bullet for their partner," he said with a teasing smile. Eddie pinched his arm and smiled when he shrieked. They didn't really want to talk about what had been said in the ring. They both avoided it, because they didn't want to realize the changes it would cause. They had a good thing going, as friends and partners, Jamie thought.

"Just as I thought you had been through enough," she stated dramatically and made Jamie giggle. He would have laughed more openly, if it hadn't been for the weak pain in his side. He would be discharged in a few days, just in time for the Sunday dinner. A couple of weeks more rest, then he would be back on the streets. Everything back to normal. "That thing you said…" she started but hesitated. Jamie's eyes found hers again. No more needed to be said, they both knew what she referred to. He nodded, carefully.

"I do appreciate the time I spend with you, Eddie, really, the best part of the day is with you next to me. On the clock and off the clock," he admitted. "But I meant what I said, and it will never change. I care about you, in more ways than just as a partner and a friend. I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what we have," he said, almost throwing the ball in to Eddie's side of the court yard. She swallowed. That was a lot to take in and to process. She looked up at the ceiling, took a deep breath and sighed cautiously.

"Our friendship is so strong, and it takes a hell of a lot to even make a scratch in the surface," Eddie had folded her arms across and was speculating out loud. She and Jamie as more that friends. They could pull it off, she thought, at not look bad. "I won't deny any of that, it's kind of… mutual," she looked at Jamie again feeling the heat under her skin. "I really thought I'd lose you, Jamie. I've never been so… scared before, I felt helpless, just looking at you," she told him, and felt a sob on its way. She breathed in hard, restraining herself. Jamie reached across and caught a warm tear running down her cheek. He lifted his other arm, carefully because of the pain, just like he had done before, and put it around her shoulder. Jamie didn't speak, and neither did Eddie when she rested her head on his shoulder.

A lot had changed since he and Eddie had talked in the hospital. First of all, their friendship had changed a little bit, not obvious to the outsider, but it had made a whole lot of difference for Jamie. They were more aware of the big elephant in the room, as it was out there, right between them. There had been some small and careful hugs together with quick and subtle no-one-saw-that-kisses on the cheeks and discrete cheer-up-hand-squeezes. Both Jamie and Eddie had agreed on it wasn't necessary to speak of it to others, because that could change everything.

Now, all of the Reagan family was sitting in the living room before dinner was served. No one talked about what had happened, not even Jack or Sean had asked any questions about the last week of Jamie's life, which was probably under strict orders from Danny and Linda. Jamie had been placed on the couch, with his feet up, although he kept insisting it wasn't really necessary. But his objections had been swept aside swiftly by Erin and Linda. A careful knock on the door made them all quiet for a moment until Frank stood up from his chair and walked out to the hallway. Seconds later Eddie stood in the doorway next to Frank, everybody went quiet again, looking at her. She almost looked embarrassed to intrude on them, with her insecure smile.

"Eddie? What are you doing here?" Jamie asked, slightly confused, and almost jumped to his feet, startled by the sudden voices of Danny, Erin, Linda, Nicky and Henry demanding him to take it easy, all at once.

"Nice to see you too, Reagan," Eddie smiled, containing her laughter.

"I invited her," Frank said and surprised all of them. Not many people had been invited to the Reagan Sunday Dinner, in fact no one had, unless they were family. Jamie got up, looking suspiciously at everybody, and walked over to Eddie with a hand on his sore ribs, clearly still in pain but happy to see his partner. In a way he wasn't surprised at all, that Frank had noticed something between them. Eddie had stopped by the hospital, almost just as many times a day as the others.

"You sure, we have enough food for a Janko at the table?" Jamie asked with a grin, grabbed Eddie's hand and kissed her faintly on the lips. If Frank knew, then Danny and Henry knew too, and Erin, Linda, and Nicky would soon catch on. Eddie was a little baffled herself when Jamie turned to the room again. "Danny, Erin and Nicky you have met," Jamie started and the three of them smiled to Eddie. "Henry, Linda, Jack and Sean," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you," Eddie said, still a little bit shy.

"Come sit down," Jamie said, leading her to the couch he had just vacated, into the middle of the Reagan family. The day just got a lot better with Eddie next to him.

 _Working on new material. Concepts, ideas and inputs are welcome, as always. :)_


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